Exbourne / West Belmont Water Tank Recoating Projects
February 2, 2026
Project Background
The Mid-Peninsula Water District (MPWD) will be recoating two of our water storage tanks in Spring 2026. These projects are necessary to maintain and extend the life of these critical pieces of our water system infrastructure. This work will take place at our Exbourne tank site, located at the end of Altura Way, and our West Belmont tank site, located at the end of Belmont Canyon Rd. MPWD conducted a condition assessment on Exbourne’s west tank and West Belmont’s north tank. The assessment concluded the coating (special engineered paint) on Exbourne (W) is showing significant wear on the interior and exterior and the West Belmont (N) tank’s coating is wearing on the exterior. If the recoating is not completed, the steel tanks will continue degrading, and ultimately result in the need for substantially more costly and time-intensive repairs and/or full tank replacements. These projects were included in the August 2024 update of MPWD’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and prioritized by MPWD for completion in 2026. You can learn more about our CIP here.
This project was designed by our engineering team at Pakpour Consulting Group (PCG) and competitively bid by qualified contractors. MPWD awarded the project to Euro Style Management at its January 2026 Board meeting by Resolution 2026-01. Euro Style Management recently completed similar projects on the Peninsula, including work on water tanks in the Cities of Redwood City, Palo Alto, and South San Francisco (Westborough Water District) and in Roseville.
Project Locations
Project Overview
Investing in Our Water Reliability
These improvements ensure our community continues to have a safe, reliable, and high-quality potable water supply for years to come.
West Belmont (N) Tank: Exterior spot repairs with new overcoat.
Exbourne (W) Tank: Removal and replacement of the interior lining and exterior spot repairs/overcoat.
Safety Upgrades: Both tanks will receive new interior ladders, ladder safety systems, roof safety gates, and level indicators, among other appurtenances. West Belmont (N) will also receive a ventilation blower and additional roof venting.
Why This Matters
Sustainability: Extending the life of existing steel tanks is more cost-effective and environmentally friendly than full replacement. The coating on the tank exteriors acts as a protective shield against the elements. By performing these spot repairs and applying a high-performance industrial overcoat now, we prevent long-term corrosion and avoid the much higher cost and time-intensive project of a full tank replacement in the future. The proposed improvements will extend the service life of the tanks an additional 20-30 years.
Safety & Compliance: Upgrading safety appurtenances such as ladder fall protection and roof gates ensures our operators can safely maintain the system.
Project Duration
MPWD expects the project to begin early March 2026 with completion by June 2026. The anticipated work duration at each tank site will be approximately 5-7 weeks each, within this March to June period. This project webpage will be updated as project updates and specific dates are made available.
Neighborhood Feedback
These tanks are critical to MPWD’s infrastructure that serves Belmont and areas beyond, and interconnects to the other adjacent water systems in San Mateo, San Carlos, Redwood City, and Foster City. While their benefits extend widely, the tanks and the work are being conducted in residential neighborhoods. MPWD acknowledges construction work is disruptive and endeavors to minimize the impacts to the greatest extent possible, whether replacing water mains in busy streets or replacing a single water meter at a home. MPWD understands that the work needed on these tanks will have impacts on our neighbors in these areas.
We invite all interested community members to share their feedback through our upcoming workshop and survey so we can better understand your concerns, minimize local impacts, and provide input on a tank color that reflects the preferences of the neighbors that will see it most. Feedback provided at the workshop and through the survey will be shared with MPWD staff, engineering team, and MPWD’s Board of Directors.
Workshop Date
Tuesday, February 17, 2026, 6:30 p.m., 1075 Old County Road, Suite A, Belmont, CA 94002 and online via Zoom here.
Project Survey
A survey is available where you can provide feedback on the project, including your preferences for the tank color that you feel best suits the neighborhood aesthetic. Please respond to this survey by February 23, 2026 and the results will be summarized and presented to the Board.
FAQs
Q. What does Mid-Peninsula Water District (MPWD) do?
MPWD provides drinking water and fire service water to more than 30,000 residents and 500 businesses, and with seven emergency interties to neighboring water systems, is an integral part of the peninsula’s connected water systems. The MPWD was established in 1929 and has been serving the community for more than 95 years. MPWD’s service area includes the City of Belmont and portions of the Cities of San Carlos, Redwood City, and Unincorporated San Mateo County.
Q. Why are these tanks being recoated now?
These tanks are critically important to MPWD’s water system and our ability to provide high quality service. Recoating these tanks greatly minimizes long-term corrosion and avoids the much higher cost of full tank replacements in the future. The proposed improvements will extend the tank service lives an additional 20-30 years.
The Exbourne tank site has two coated steel tanks; the western and eastern tanks have capacities of 1 and 1.5 million gallons (MG), respectively. The tank condition assessment performed in 2023 identified the west tank’s exterior coating was weathered, chalked, and in fair to poor condition with some localized rust development and peeling. The interior lining was also in poor condition above the highest water level and fair below the highest water level. The lining of the interior roof is showing corrosion and will continue to advance unless relining occurs. MPWD will conduct a future assessment on the eastern tank and anticipates a similar recoating project will be completed on that tank in the 2027-2029 timeframe.
The West Belmont Tank site has two coated steel tanks with 1.6 MG capacities. The tank condition assessment performed in 2023 identified the north tank’s exterior coating was weathered and in poor to fair condition with widespread rust development and peeling. The interior lining was in good condition throughout and will be reinspected every five years. MPWD will conduct a future assessment on the southern tank and anticipates a similar recoating project on that tank will be completed in the 2027-2029 timeframe.
Q. What happens if this work is not done?
If this work is not completed, the tanks’ steel will degrade and require much more extensive repairs or even full replacement. The costs of these repairs or replacement would be borne by MPWD customers with such work costing potentially more than 10 times the cost to recoat the tanks. Furthermore, a more extensive project would necessitate a longer and more disruptive construction process than the recoating work.
Q. What do the tanks do for the system?
MPWD’s system includes approximately 95 miles of pipeline and 11 tanks over 6 sites. These tanks are critical for (1) supplying water for customer use, (2) maintaining and managing water pressure throughout the system, (3) providing adequate water pressure to support firefighting throughout the community, (4) and storing water to be available during unexpected emergencies.
Q. Does the condition of the interior tank coating affect my water quality?
Water quality is not negatively affected by the condition of the tank. The coatings protect the steel tanks from rust and corrosion, and are all certified by NSF as safe for use on surfaces that are in contact with drinking water.
Q. Will my water service be interrupted?
No. While the tanks are being serviced, MPWD’s system will be managed to ensure continuous water flow to all homes. This is one of several benefits of having two tanks located on each site – one tank can be taken out of service without interruption to system functionality or water service.
Q. What kind of noise should I expect?
Most work involves coating and minor electrical/mechanical upgrades. There will be some noise from sand blasting and other equipment during standard working hours. The Contractor will comply with the City of Belmont noise ordinance. To respect MPWD’s neighbors’ peace and quiet, all construction activities will strictly follow the City of Belmont’s and San Carlos’ noise ordinances, with work limited to 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 a.m on weekdays. No work is anticipated on weekends or holidays.
Q. Will there be extra vehicles on my street during the work?
There will be additional construction vehicular traffic on the streets leading to and from the tank sites. No street closures are anticipated as part of this work.
Q. What color will the tanks be coated?
At the West Belmont site, the tank will be coated the same blue color that it and the south tank are currently coated. At the Exbourne site, however, the tanks are currently two different shades of green, and the recoating is an opportunity for the tank colors to be changed to reflect the neighborhood’s current preference. MPWD has not yet selected the water tank’s final color and is specifically seeking neighborhood feedback before making a final selection. MPWD is currently considering three primary options designed to blend with the local landscape and you are invited to your preferences on five options: (1) Sky Blue, (2) Dark Blue, (3) Neutral Green, (4) Sage Green, and (5) Light Beige. l the other tanks at the sites be coated also?
Q. Why do you choose to only work on one tank at a time at each site? Why not do both tanks at the same time?
MPWD’s system is designed to have two tanks on most of our tank sites rather than one larger tank to allow for more operational flexibility for maintenance, repair, and water quality management. This redundancy allows us to take one tank out of service for necessary maintenance/repairs and still maintain significant storage and pressure control. By recoating each tank separately, we maximize the ability to use tanks in the event of an emergency and for other operational needs. The other tanks on the sites will soon need the same or similar work done. It is anticipated that the other tanks on the Exbourne and West Belmont sites will be recoated in the 2027-2029 timeframe.
Q. Why are the Exbourne tanks two different colors?
When MPWD first constructed the eastern tank, neighbor feedback indicated they did not prefer the selected green color. MPWD then constructed the second western tank with a different green color reflecting the neighbors’ preference at the time. MPWD prefers both tanks on any given site be coated the same color.
Q. How do I provide input?
Attend the Workshop: Join the upcoming in-person/hybrid neighborhood meeting to see the color swatches in person and discuss the visual impact and your preferences with District staff. The workshop will be in person and online (hybrid) on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. at 1075 Old County Road, Suite A, Belmont, CA 94002 and online via Zoom here.
Complete the Survey: A survey is available where you can provide general feedback on the project and officially provide your color preference you feel best suits the neighborhood aesthetic.
All results will be provided to the Board at the March 26, 2026 Board meeting. Based on these results, MPWD will select a color for Exbourne’s west tank. When MPWD recoats Exbourne’s east tank in the future, it will match the west tank’s color.
Q. Who is doing the work?
The project will be led by a California-licensed contractor with specific expertise in high-performance industrial coatings. Based on a competitive bidding process, MPWD selected Euro Style Management to complete the work. Euro Style Management recently completed similar projects on water tanks in the Cities of Redwood City, Palo Alto, and South San Francisco (Westborough Water District).
Q. How will MPWD ensure the work is being done well?
MPWD ensures the quality of the work through strict contractor qualifications, mandatory certifications, and an onsite inspector. MPWD only accepts bids from contractors with a proven track record of specialized experience. To ensure technical proficiency in handling specialized coatings, the coating contractor is required to hold specific industry-standard certifications. In addition to MPWD’s engineering team, we have an onsite construction inspector. This professional is an expert in industrial tank recoating and will be onsite during all hours the contractor is working to perform real-time quality control. The project is also subject to monitoring and enforcement by the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) to ensure compliance with public works standards and labor codes.